INDIA, May 26, 2011: Did the Konkan coast from Shrivardhan in Raigad to Vengurla in Sindhudurga host a human habitat around 8000 years ago? Did that population have well-developed engineering skills? Was there a unique Konkan culture in existence in 6000BC?
A new archaeological discovery, below sea level along the Konkan coast (off Goa and Karnataka), could give answers to these questions. Researchers have found a wall-like structure that is 24 kilometres long, 2.7 metres tall, and around 2.5 metres wide. The structure shows uniformity in its construction.
“It has been found three metres below the present sea level. It has been constructed on the ancient sand beach, which was taken as the base for the construction. Considering the uniformity of the structure, it was obvious that the structure is man-made and not natural,” said “Dr. Ashok Marathe, professor Department of Archaeology, Postgraduate and Research Institute, Deccan College, Pune.
“We were actually studying the impacts of tsunamis and earthquakes on the western coast when we first found this structure in Valneshwar,” said Marathe. “Then we started talking with the locals and fisher-folks and we got news about more such structures below water.”